I'm borrowing another list member's 600/6.5 which is the, ahem,
little brother to the 1000/11. Good thing I no longer have the
Mazda RX-7, as the case probably wouldn't have fit in the trunk.
Yes, there is more chrome on that lens than the average
street-rod.
The pictures taken with the 600/6.5 are quite interesting. It is
very difficult to focus and use, but the pictures are georgous.
I learned that you MUST hold onto the camera when taking a
picture--even though everything is locked down as tight as can
be on a sturdy tripod. When the pictures are sharp, they are
VERY sharp. Toss/Keep ratio seems a bit high, though. I think
the lens is designed to balance better (and be less vibration
prone) when used with the motordrives.
Both of these lenses enter into the realm of "bird on a perch"
usage. If you are an avid birder, these are excellent lenses as
they have tons of magnification without doublers.
Best of all, the 600/6.5 (I haven't tested the 1000/11), has
almost no color fringing. Color fringing is the curse of long
teles and zooms, but this lens exhibits very little. I doubt
that there is any ED glass in them, but the resulting images
make you think there is.
Forget trying to focus using a standard 1-x series screen. The
matte surface isn't bright enough and the prisms black out. The
2-4 screen is far better, but the image "vignettes" in the
viewfinder somewhat. Focusing isn't for the
faint-hearted--you'll be screaming for an autofocus wonderbrick
in minutes. Contrast for focussing is nil.
Is the 1000/11 or 600/6.5 worth the price? If your interests
include birding, the answer is yes. Forget using this lens for
sports--except for lockdown shots. I wouldn't take this lens
backpacking, nor on the average dayhike. Distance shots of
fireworks on a skyline and other lockdown type of images are
definitely in the category for these lenses.
Based on my limited experience with this lens (just under 100
shots so far), I would recommend that you find one of those big
jelly-bags (stress-reliever toys) that weighs a couple of pounds
to set ON the lens/camera when using a cable-release. Olympus
does not recommend a cable-release because hands are vital to
absorb the high-frequency vibration of the shutter, which gets
magnified a few hundred-fold. My best results were when I aimed
the lens slightly low and I pressed down on the camera to get
the framing I desired. This pretty-well dampened the vibration.
It was interesting to see pictures that were half-blurred.
The focus mechanism is a knob style affair which you can use
with either hand. These beasts don't focus any closer than
three or four miles, so don't expect too much macro photography.
I put all of my extension tubes on the 600/6.5 and could get the
lens to focus down to something like 6 feet. Of course, the
magnification was great! Wanna talk Bokeh?
OK, let's talk Bokeh. For a 600mm lens, it is incredibly
bokeh-resistant! I actually think that the 300/4.5 has more
controllable bokeh than the 600/6.5. For that matter, my
100/2.8 seems to have smoother bokeh! This lens appears to break
from the Zuiko mold and is more Nikkor in image characteristic.
It is much smoother than what you would get in either a zoom or
a shorter lens with doubler, but it just doesn't possess that
3D-ness I was expecting. Upon further reflection, I think it
might have to do with the smaller diameter lens elements. For
the focal lengths, these are scrawny lenses.
It also suprised me how little "image compression" there is with
this lens. Super-teles will "compress" the distance between
objects. I consider the compression to be more like a 200mm lens
than a super-tele. I don't know what caused this difference in
this lens, as distance compression is mathematical. It might, in
this case, be related to the bokeh.
These are scary lenses to setup and carry around. Don't plan on
being inconspicous. I was photographing a church steeple from
about a mile away. The framing included a graveyard which was
about half a mile away. The composition required me to stand on
the side of a busy road. What you don't ever see in pictures of
these lenses is the retractable lens hood all the way out.
These are LONG lenses. Needless to say, I got some attention.
Including from the local gendarme. I handed him my business
card and drivers license and he ran my license plates while I
continued to take my pictures. Actually, it was a good thing
since he had his flashers going and was partially blocking
traffic, I was able to sneek out to the centerline of the road
and shoot while traffic slowed to get around us. I know, that
took guts. Gotta do what we gotta do. <g> I expected a
citation and court appearance out that that one. After he
handed back my license and said "good day" I knew I had free
reign to torture that town with the lens.
It is a rare photographic opportunity that demands super-teles
such as the 1000/11 and 600/6.5, but if you have the money
burning a hole in your pocket and have applications for it, go
for it. A general hobbyist photographer has no need for this
lens and would be better suited with the 300/4.5 with Zuiko
doubler. Still, once you've experienced a high-quality
super-tele, the brand-x zoom wannabees just won't do.
What is it with me and the police, anyway?
AG-Schnozz
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